I love the first book, and I still think the first is the best of the series, still.. I admire the author for the delicate intricacies she has added to Dicey's family life with her grandmother. I love the sad ending, and learn that in life, just like in Dicey's, we have to learn to let go of the people of the past, as well as reach out to others in present. Lovely story for all ages :) ( )

Here the reader learns more about Dicey as she begins to grow up and navigate the confusing labyrinth of being a teenager. After a devastating event, Dicey must help her siblings deal with the fallout. Written beautifully, a little more of the story unfolds and draws you in further to the Tillerman family. By now, I care about them as if they are real people. I mourn when they mourn, and I celebrate their triumphs. That's the mark of a great writer.

In Homecoming, brave, resourceful Dicey, brainy James, sweet Maybeth, and stubborn Sammy made their way to a place that they all can call home. In Dicey's Song, the children are learning their way in a new place, and it's not an easy transition for any of them. And then, of course, there's Momma, who is at a hospital far away in New England, who may never get better. Dicey and her siblings have found a home, but now they have to find a way to be, to belong.

I've loved these books for years. The story of the Tillerman family is so rich, so bittersweet. Voigt just nails it on so many levels: the interactions between the characters, the way she describes the setting, the descriptions of food and music and simple pleasures. These are books that I can revisit again and again. ( )

Barbara Caruso's lovely narration brought some depth to these characters- made the prickly Tillerman women a little more accessible. I liked the story, I enjoyed listening to it after having read it some time ago, but it's still a sad story. ( )

Book Two of the Tillerman Cycle, which follows Dicey, her siblings, and Gram as they sort out how to be a family together and deal with the difficulties life keeps throwing at them (as life is wont to do). Simply excellent. If not quite as bowl-you-over brilliant as Homecoming, still a worthy follow-up and deserving of many rereads. Recommended to everyone. ( )

Ann Philips (Children's Literature)In the second book of Voigt's "Tillerman family" cycle, Dicey and her younger brothers and sister settle in with their grandmother on a stark homestead by the Chesapeake Bay. Their mother remains unresponsive in a Boston psychiatric hospital. Dicey is confused about where she fits into the family now that Gram has taken over responsibility for the youngsters, but she soon learns that the family still needs her resourcefulness and solid good sense. Dicey and Gram steady one another as each reaches out, breaking Tillerman tradition. Gram is a hard, proud woman who has lived to regret her isolation and the scattering of her children. Gram makes overtures to town folk and her world expands. Dicey tries to remain aloof at school, but neither Jeff the musician nor the forceful Mina relents until Dicey allows them into her circle of caring. In her spare time, Dicey is restoring a derelict sailboat, meticulously sanding down layers of old paint. Metaphorically, her emotional defenses wear away as she slowly opens to hope, friendship, expressive writing, and finally to an acceptance of her mother's death. When Gram and Dicey bring her mother's ashes home, the broken family is nearly healed. Written in fine, spare prose, this outstanding Newbery Medal winner belongs in every school and community library collection. Readers will be eager to pick up the rest of the series. 2003 (orig. 1982), Aladdin/Simon and Schuster, $5.99. Ages 10 to 14.

The four Tillerman children finally have a home at their grandmother's rundown farm on the Maryland shore. It's what Dicey has dreamed of for her three younger siblings, but after watching over the others for so long, it's hard to let go. Who is Dicey, if she's no longer the caretaker for her family?

Dicey finds herself in new friends, in a growing relationship with her grandmother, and in the satisfaction of refinishing the old boat she found in the barn. Then, as Dicey experiences the trials and pleasures of making a new life, the past comes back with devastating force, and Dicey learns just how necessary -- and painful -- letting go can be.